Getting Started

Your pay consists of two primary elements:

Basic Pay Basic Pay is comprised of your Pay Plan and your Locality Pay. It is your pay rate before any deductions or additional pay are added.

Premium Pay Premium pays are wages above and beyond Basic Pay. General Schedule (GS) employees whose Basic Pay is less than the maximum GS-15 rate may receive Premium Pay. Total Premium Pay received by an exempt GS employee in any one pay period may not exceed the maximum GS-15 pay. This limit is not applicable to non-exempt employees or for hazard pay. Senior Executive Service employees are not eligible for Premium Pay.

Your pay may also include:

Entitlements You may be eligible for pay entitlements above and beyond Basic and Premium Pay. For a complete list of the various Civilian Pay entitlements, visit the Entitlements page.

Within Grade Increases (WGIs) or Step IncreasesWGIs, or step increases, are periodic increases in a GS employee's Basic Pay rate. Each increase represents a progression from one step of the grade to the next higher step of that grade. For WGI purposes, an employee's Basic Pay rate includes any special salary rate that applies to the employee's position. Locality, or other payments in addition to Basic Pay, are excluded. Learn more about WGIs at the Office of Personnel Management’s web site.

Other items concerning your pay:

Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) Your LES provides you with a bi-weekly record of earnings, deductions and leave information. Your LES also includes remarks related to payroll and personnel actions processed during the current pay period.